Recycling facility operating tours during 'Doors Open Milwaukee'

Free Tours of the City of Milwaukee/Waukesha County Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

(WAUKESHA, WI) – The public is invited to tour the City of Milwaukee/Waukesha County Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) as a part of the annual Doors Open Milwaukee event, which will take place on Saturday, September 28 at 1401 W. Mt. Vernon Ave., Milwaukee.

Attendees will have an opportunity to learn how their recyclable materials get a second life, as they arrive from curbside containers. Visitors can drop in from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to learn about what materials can be recycled, watch a video of the workers and state-of-the-art machinery sorting materials, handle products made from recyclables, and learn how our actions matter.
For those interested in a more in-depth visit, there are limited ticketed tours also available. Tours last 30 -45 minutes and are best for adults and students 5th grade and above. Limited tickets are still available for the free in-depth 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. tours.. Tickets will be available online starting Tuesday, September 17 at 9 a.m. at www.doorsopenmilwaukee.org on a first come, first served basis. The equipment will not be operating, but visitors are required to wear thick soled, closed-toe shoes to tour.

About the MRF
The Materials Recovery Facility began operating a single sort in March of 2015 which is now sorting and processing recyclables from approximately 300,000 households served by single sort recycling programs in the 27 participating Waukesha County communities and the City of Milwaukee. The MRF is designed to process 35 tons of recyclables per hour, or 60,000 tons of recyclables per year.